Written by Michael Thervil
Photo by Sasha Mordovets
Four Russian ships with at least one of them being the Kazan, a nuclear-powered submarine will be arriving in Cuba for port calls and naval training drills and exercises that will last from June 10th to the 17th. Even though things appear to be calm on the U.S. front at this point, this doesn’t mean that the United States isn't keeping a close eye on what’s happening within its hemisphere of influence. Although Russia’s naval fleet has been conducting port calls in Cuba for roughly over ten years – there’s no one that can say with any degree of certainty that this is just a routine collaboration.
With America sinking deeper into debt by flipping the bill for Ukraine’s war against Russia and with Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly declaring the United States as its enemy during war time; any miscalculation between America and Russia while they are conducting this port call, could potentially lead to the conflict broadening onto the doorsteps of America. We can say this because Cuba is roughly 661 km (400 miles) from the tip of Florida. There is speculation that America will watch but will do nothing to alert its presence anywhere near the vicinity of Cuba or that part of the Caribbean for that matter.
In the case of Russia, taking caution to not further escalate the current tensions between themselves and America, decided not to arm their nuclear submarine for this port call. Many geopolitical spectators are perceiving Russia’s decision not to arm its nuclear submarine as Russia is trying to demonstrate its non-aggressive stance while conducting this traditional naval exercise as well. This port call works in Cuba's favor because it allows them to maintain their military readiness by conducting military exercises as well putting them in the position to receive goods and commodities such as medical based and construction related items from Russia. This is especially beneficial to Cuba because they have been essentially shut out of global aid due to American sanctions for decades.
Russia also benefits from these port call exercises as they get the opportunity to flex their military muscles on America's doorstep and to the rest of the world. When you step back and look at it, it almost seems as if the naval drills between Russia and Cuba may be about both countries showing strength through unity rather than attempting to provoke America to respond.
Whether the world leaders of the Collective West would like to admit it or not, the world has changed from a unipolar to a multipolar world. This seismic shift within the geopolitical landscape is considered to be painful for countries like the United States who have been the dominant force for so long in the world. With Russia continuing to operate in the western hemisphere despite the tensions and sanctions placed on them by America and the Collective West, it only demonstrates that Russia despite the failed U.S. sanctions is still a global power and a force to be reckoned with economically and militarily.
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